Gay Men Report High Rates of Hate-Motivated Physical Violence

Study is the first to consider FBI data on hate crimes against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals separately

LOS ANGELES – According to a new study from the Williams Institute, gay men face higher rates of hate-motivated physical violence than lesbians, bisexuals or other federally protected groups with high rates of hate crimes. This finding is especially troubling given prior research has shown that sexual orientation-motivated hate crimes tend to be more violent.

“These findings suggest that additional research is needed to explore why gay men are more likely to experience and/or report physical victimization and crimes against their property,” said the study’s author, Rebecca L. Stotzer, Associate Professor and the Director of Distance Education at the University of Hawai‘i, Mnoa and Visiting Scholar at the Williams Institute.

Among the research findings, 26 in 100,000 gay men reported being victims of hate-motivated crimes against persons, compared to 10 in 100,000 lesbians, 5 in 100,000 African Americans, and 5 in 100,000 Jewish Americans. Gay men also face the second highest risk of being victims of hate-motivated property crime (9 in 100,000 gay men). Further, reporting of such hate crimes is likely under represented since data reflect only those who report such crimes to local law enforcement, who then choose whether to report the data to the FBI.

Although prior research has suggested that lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals, Jews, and African Americans experience similar levels of overall victimization, this study is the first to demonstrate that when lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are considered separately, gay men experience more hate crimes.